


Komorebi

by MissYunie



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Body Worship, Camping, Consensual Sex, Consent, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fluffy Ending, Foreplay, Friends to Lovers, Gentle Sex, Nature, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Rough Sex, Sex, Size Kink, Smut, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:23:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissYunie/pseuds/MissYunie
Summary: Komorebi (Japanese) - when the sunlight filters through the trees, or the interplay between the light and the leaves...A surprise camping trip with a Shield of the future king leaves you anxious; he is set to depart for Altissia soon, the future uncertain for him as he readies himself to take on whatever fate will hand him. For you who shall remain behind,  there is so much left unsaid, so many unspoken words, so many sentiments felt you were always afraid to share. But little do you realize, all this time he's been feeling the exact same way...





	Komorebi

**Author's Note:**

> Here's one more little side project before I officially get back into my main fic "All This and Heaven Too" (don't worry, I have the whole next chapter planned out! XD).
> 
> There are a couple of reasons I decided to write the little story:  
> 1) I wanted to be humored and see how well I could write a fic based on one of the options listed on the many Tumblr writing prompt lists. A few nights ago I had one of my good Tumblr/Discord friends pick a prompt for me and this one is the result. The prompt title was "What a pretty sight."
> 
> 2) It's summer time! Wahoo! And I think a nice story involving nature would be very fitting for the time of year.
> 
> 3) I've been dying to write a Gladio fic for a while and had a ton of ideas mulling over in my head, but I simply couldn't decide which route I wanted to go. But with 1 and 2 in mind here, I was able to come up with this idea! Gladio was in fact my first love of the Bros (episode Ignis made Iggy the new competitor, which I think he did for a lot of us) and so it was killing me that I've gone all this time being a part of the fandom and not having written a one shot story, just for Gladdy. Even more so, one thing that I noticed a lot in the fandom is how Gladio tends to be depicted as a rude brute of sorts and a straight-up womanizer. While yes, we see his flirtatious side in the Assassin's Festival, there is too much evidence pointing towards the fact that this man is such a big teddy bear at heart and really would do anything for the people he cares about. I mean c'mon! Just look at how much he loves his sister! With that in mind, I don't think he could ever treat a woman so harshly like he tends to be depicted.
> 
> 4) But last of all, I wanted to really focus on the idea of consent. A lot of contemplations and chats of late have made me really think about why consent is SOOOO important when it comes to sex. You are literally giving up your body for use to someone else. Each of us should receive nothing but respect and love for how our bodies are being shared with someone else. And let's face it: Gladio is a very intimidating man whose size might make a lot of people feel nervous, especially a small petite woman. Having him as the subject here goes to show why love and trust is extremely important when it comes to us breaking down our sexual barriers for another person. I hope you all out there receive that respect for your bodies that you so deserve...
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this! Comments and feedback are always welcome!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie!

**_Komorebi_ **

_(n.) - from Japanese: sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees_

_Prompt: “What a pretty sight...”_

“Are you sure we aren’t lost?” You said lightheartedly between heavy breaths as your boots pounded into the dusty trail beneath your feet. “I feel we’ve been on this trail for a while. Shouldn’t we have seen a marker or something by now?”

“Hey now, are you trying to get out of a little bit of hiking?” Gladiolus Amicitia shot back as he led the way through the forest, and turning around to look at you for just a moment he grinned. “Or are you suddenly regretting taking this little trip with me? All this walking isn’t too much for you now, isn’t it?”

Thank the gods the heat from sweating masked the sudden deep blush in your cheeks, but shaking your head you laughed in response, hoping to ward off your sudden embarrassment. “N-No, it’s not like that at all!” You replied as you did your best to keep up with the big man’s lumbering steps. “I’m just…excited is all. All this time of knowing you and I’m finally able to join you on one of these hiking trips you’ve always talked about. I’m really curious to see where you are taking me.” You inhaled deeply and smiled, slinging your heavy bag that kept fighting with you and slipping down from its place back up over your shoulder.

Gladio slowed down his pace a little bit as he watched you attempt to keep up with strides, a grimace spreading over his lips as he watched you struggle. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take that from you?” He asked as you finally joined him at his side.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. “And make you carry ALL of the equipment? Do you see what’s already slung over your back?” And truth be told, as you and Gladio walked the trail during this whole duration, you still could not help but find yourself amazed at how he was able to carry the packed tent, the cooking gear, and his own essentials without seeming to break a sweat. But, being that he was in fact the Shield to the King and he was well renowned for his strength and prowess with heavy swords and shields, this shouldn’t have surprised you at all in the least.

Gladio smirked for just a moment as if patting himself on the back at this notion, but seeing that you were making no notion to let him take your gear from you, he sighed. “Fair enough,” he replied, “but I’m going to slow my pace down a little bit. I don’t need you passing out on me at all.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” You asked, only feeling slightly offended as you refrained from a laugh. “I might not be as strong as you or well-trained, but I’m not THAT terribly out of shape! You don’t have any faith in me, do you?”

Gladio turned around to look at you, his expression suddenly going serious as he watched you move. “No, that’s not what I meant at all,” he quickly replied. “I just…don’t need you getting hurt or anything before you actually get to enjoy yourself and relax today. That would be the very last intention I would ever have with you coming out with me today.”

You almost stopped dead in your tracks, considering the notion of his words, but you kept trekking forth, hoping to not give a sign that you were reading him. “How kind of you,” you said back softly, keeping your thoughts straight. Thank the Six the afternoon sunlight beaming through the trees upon your face helped mask the deepening shade of your cheeks, and swallowing hard you continued to move forward. “You know, I suppose I should just thank you in general, Gladio. Like I said, I was really excited coming camping today. I know how busy you are with keeping intact everything at the Citadel and your training with Noctis and other obligations. It’s been hard enough as it is for us to get together to spend time with one another lately when we can because of that. And with you leaving in a few weeks to head out to Altissia with the boys and knowing that the burden of keeping an eye on Noct is hovering over your mind, well, I’m just really glad you managed to make the time for me before you have to go…”

You breathed in, hoping your increase of inhalations due to the steepening of the hill on which you walked helped mask the sudden pain that constricted your chest. This wasn’t a physical pain though, but so much more than that.

How long had you known Gladiolus Amicitia? Since you were a child? As your father was one of the ambassadors to the Crown who worked frequently with King Regis and his councilmen, you were certainly no stranger to making frequent visits to the Citadel. Whenever you could, you would explore the grounds of the Citadel, talking frequently with the staff and other children whose parents worked closely with the King. While you were never necessarily one who was interested in politics, you were fascinated with learning about how the Crown City was ruled and about the history of the great city of Insomnia and the line of Lucis. One of your favorite places to frequent was the Royal Library. Being a bibliophile, you would get lost for hours studying the ancient histories of the world and its past as well as about the lives of the rulers of Lucis.

But it was one day in particular that happened to change your whole life. One rainy afternoon, having thought you had the library all to yourself, just as you were about to round a corner to grab a hold of a book in the cosmology section, you rain smack dab into a boy your age, that boy being none other than Gladiolus Amicitia, the son of the current Shield to the King. You were shocked beyond belief. You had seen the young man frequently throughout your adventures throughout the Citadel, peaking in occasionally to watch him train with his father in the art of combat. For being so young, you found his skills to be more than impressive and breathtaking, and so now, to see him standing before you with a heavy book in his hand surprised you beyond belief.

But soon enough, you had found out that he was such as much as an avid reader as you, and surely enough a friendship from the love of books blossomed. Whenever it was possible, the two of you would spend hours lost within the library, sharing stories and researching the mysteries of the world together whenever you could. That love only continued to grow as you both aged, and as you both began to understand better the heavy implications of war upon the world, the stories in which you shared together only became more impressionable upon the heart.

But with age and time changes life. As Gladiolus got older and Prince Noctis aged in turn the Shield’s responsibilities only broadened, the weight of protecting the future king demanding more of the young man. As a result, your time together became less frequent, Gladiolus almost always engaged in the affairs of training his Prince or taking care and watching over his younger sister Iris. His friendship with Prompto Argentum and Ignis Scientia further grew, and as expected between any friends of the same gender, his time shifted towards his male compatriots, all of whom would serve the future king of Insomnia in their own light. You in turn immersed yourself in your own personal studies and life affairs to keep you distracted. And yet, despite all of these changes, never once did the sentiment of heart stray between you and the Shield. You frequented the Citadel as much as you could, watching in secret whenever you could the training sessions that Gladio held with Noctis, and there was always something so thrilling about the way Gladio’s face lit up when he saw you waiting for him outside of the training room. You would meet up in private to read together whenever you could, and knowing the man’s hunkering love of Cup Noodles and a homecooked meal, you attempted your best to compete with the royal advisor and at least please your friend’s stomach as best as you could.

Life had changed, and yet the friendship you two shared never faltered.

Gladio had always shared with you his love of the outdoors and he would tell his stories of his camping endeavors with his closest friends, and you would roll over in laughter over the thought of how disappointed King Regis would be if he had known what his son and his friends were up to when he wasn’t around to supervise his son. Part of you had felt a deep sense of jealously, wishing that you were able to partake in such with the him, the man’s passion about nature and being one with the natural world warming your heart and making you feel giddy. And so, with knowing how the Shield was just mere weeks away from departing from the Crown City and was about to embark on one of the most important duties and journeys of his life, it shocked you to find out that he had managed to make the time to schedule a camping trip with all that currently occurred at the Citadel.

A camping trip, just for you, and with just the two of you all alone.

But there was even more to all of this that would make you flush deeply, the more you thought about the implications of this camping trip. You had known nothing but the best of Gladio, his companionship and his kindness towards you like that of none other. His wit and sarcasm and pun-filled humor never failed to make you laugh. His arrogance and confidence over his prowess with a weapon would make you shake your head and playfully slap him whenever he bragged. His intellect, despite his brutish persona, always impressed you. The love of his friends warmed your heart beyond compare and his devotion to the Crown and his family gave you all the confidence in the world that this was the man whom would protect the future king and would keep peace about the land of Lucis.

You had admired him so much and you had always wished he thought the same of you.

But having always been a dear friend to Gladiolus, your ears were never deaf to the talk that would float around the Citadel. Talk that you just simply couldn’t believe. Some talked of the Shield as a womanizer, a playboy of sorts who had no problem taking off his shirt when he trained to show off the columns of sculpted abdominals and pectorals he had worked so hard to obtain when he trained. He was no stranger to conversing with others who worked within the Citadel, and yet it was always said how he enjoyed to flirt with the female Glaives and women who worked behind desks. You would always flinch when you would hear in passing how females would remark that it wasn’t just his broadsword that he wielded that was massive, and so feigning ignorance you would brush off said remarks as best as you could.

No, this wasn’t the man you knew. The man who listened to you share the stories of your life and would join you for coffee while you read in old bookshops scattered throughout the city. This wasn’t the same man who would treat you to a hot cup of noodles from a food truck on a chilly day as you shared the salty soup together and laughed. This wasn’t the same man who walked with you through the gardens at his family manor after a heavy training session, asking you about how your day transpired whereas his lead to nothing but frustration, him hoping that the Prince would find the strength within himself to find the confidence to be the leader he needed to be.

Gladio was more to you than what you heard. And a part of you, deep _deep_ down, could only hope that you were the same to him.

And maybe he meant more to YOU than you even realized…

And so as you breathed in heavily, a droplet of sweat trickling down the side of your temple as a soft breeze blew through the thicket of trees overhead, you could only hope that whatever this day lead to, at least it would end with some peace in your heart and a smile on your face.

“Hey, you say that like me hanging out with you is a burden,” Gladio said out of nowhere, and the sudden timbre of his voice caused you to jump. “As if all these years of knowing you haven’t shown that, I enjoy spending time with you. You’re a breath of fresh air. And as much as I love the guys,” and he paused to laugh, hiking the heavy gear upon his back farther up on his shoulders, “I need a breather away from all that testosterone.”

You could have sworn your face was beet-red by now, but hopefully the warmth from the sun was enough to mask your sudden giddiness. You had to laugh at his statement though, for if anyone defined the concept of testosterone better than anyone else, it had to be Gladio.

“I certainly can’t blame you there, that’s for sure,” you said with a smile in your voice, trying to keep your tone even. You swallowed hard, and with only being a slight pace behind him you suddenly became overly aware of the way in which his black tank top and his hiking jeans clung to his muscular frame. “Although I have to say too: getting away from the Crown City is a breather in itself. Insomnia has always been my home but I have always felt better when I’m away from all the chaos. Like all the times we managed to go to the park or walk in your family’s garden. It makes me feel quite at ease when I’m around nature.”

Gladio smiled broadly as he turned to look at you. “A girl after my own heart,” he grinned, flashing his teeth. “And this is why we get along so well. Noctis loves fishing and all but he’d sometimes complain about having to sleep in a tent. Says it hurts his back too much sleeping on the ground, but I think that’s bullshit. The guy can fall asleep anywhere and be fine.” He paused, grinning again. “Which is why I appreciate that you’re not complaining right now. You’re a trooper. Prompto would be bitching about doing all of this walking.”

You hid your face for a second, hiding your girlish smile. “Well I appreciate your faith in me,” you remarked, and despite how tired you felt, having not had to walk this strenuously in a very long time, his sudden words of encouragement seemed to give you the spike in energy you needed. “I like to stay optimistic, especially when trying new things. Just don’t give me so much credit just yet. You know that I’ve never camped before and I tend to get a bit jittery when I hear things that I shouldn’t. You sure we don’t have to worry about Sabertusks or anything like that?”

Gladio laughed heartily, patting his hand upon your shoulder as he smiled at you. “Not where we are going, we won’t. This isn’t their territory anyways. And besides, you’ve got me here to protect you against anything that goes bump in the night.”

Your stomach suddenly turned in all sorts of knots at this insinuation of words and you felt your throat constrict, realizing once again that this far into the woods, you two were all alone. The presence of his broad hand upon this shoulder seamed to sear your bear shoulder like a sunburn, and keeping your breathing as even as you could, you tried to hide how flustered you suddenly felt.

“A knight in shining armor. How kind of you, good sir,” you replied with a twist in your smile.

Gladio chuckled softly, and for a second you noticed a sudden shift in the sparkle and glint of his eyes. He appeared to be mulling his thoughts over in his head before he spoke. “Well, I don’t have the armor but I do have a mean shield and a broadsword, if that will help…” But suddenly he stopped in his tracks, and realizing that you were ahead of him, you halted your motions. Turning around, you looked at him and suddenly felt the strength in your legs fail you. His expression was unreadable, and yet, the warmth of his honey-amber eyes made you feel…safe?

Gods, it was all very hard to describe.

“Gladio, are you alright?” You asked him, suddenly feeling rather anxious. The man had been nothing but a jokester this whole time, and so his sudden tranquility of motions startled you.

Gladio blinked as if he suddenly had no idea where he was, and as if nothing had ever happened, he was back to smiling his roguish grin. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine, Y/N. Just paused for a second to get my bearings straight. Look right ahead.” And so you did, and there upon a carved stone slightly covered in moss and lichen were the words ‘Onirico Haven’. “Looks like I didn’t get us lost after all,” continued Gladio, crossing his broad arms as he stared at you. “Just right up the hill and we’ve reached our destination.” You blinked at him as if struggling to comprehend his words, but watching his eyes linger on you for a moment longer, he smiled and walked towards you to join you at your side. “Are YOU ok, Y/N?” He asked you now. “You still got some breath left in those lungs? You don’t need me to carry you the rest of the way now, do you?”

The return to his playful manner made you laugh and you gently punched him in the arm. “I’m fine myself, thank you very much,” you retorted. “Although I have to say I can’t wait to set this backpack down.”

Knowing very much that you would not allow him to take the heavy pack from your shoulders, Gladio smirked at you. “Then I say I’ll let the lady lead the way. I’ll be right behind you.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed, but nevertheless you obliged. With each step however, you felt yourself getting more and more apprehensive, realizing just how utterly far you were into the depths of the forest. While you certainly were no hiking expert, you had found it rather startling how unworn the path you had traveled all this time had actually been. For some reason or another, you deduced that perhaps not many hikers made this trek this far into the woods, or perhaps not many people knew about it. For Gladio to know did not surprise you though, the man most likely having found in his readings somewhere the locations of various havens that perhaps become long forgotten across Lucis as a result of the war between Niflheim and the Crown. With each step though, as you instinctually felt yourself getting closer to right where you would park your stuff and with the sudden scattering of slabs of stones marked with luminous protective runes, you knew that Gladio’s skills as a tracker and hiker had not failed him.

“Just a few more paces,” Gladio murmured behind you, and now your heart was pounding within your chest. Something was telling you this wasn’t going to be any ordinary camping sight.

Just a bit closer. A little closer. One more set of strides, and now you reached the last step of your hike and planted your feet upon the flatness of earth.

And you gasped.

_Am I…am I dreaming right now?_

There were no words to describe what you saw.

Was this secret little haven perhaps gardened by the Astrals themselves? Did the holy Six take expert care to craft every dip and bend in the land and mold every tree to absolute perfection as the sudden shade of leaves above you protected you from the sun. You inhaled sharply, a soft wind rustling through the loose tresses of hair that came undone from your long braid, and smiling you relished in the way the sun attempted to poke through the umbrage of branches and leaves from above. You took a few steps forward, your eyes wide and cheeks flushed with the beauty that surrounded you, your booted-feet padding gently across the clearing that was blanketed in the lushest and greenest of mosses, save for a clear patch of earth where a campfire would be kindled. Around you was a thicket of trees, the edge of the clearing full of bushes and growth of flowers of every kind of wild flower imaginable, and breathing in deeply you were intoxicated by their delectable aroma. Somewhere to the left of the clearing you spotted a little path that lead to a stream that sprang forth a natural spring, and thank the gods you would have a place to draw forth water in case you ran out. But it was straight ahead the sight that took your breath away the most. Through a perfectly structured archway of trees was a natural window that you could not help be drawn to, and jotting towards it you came to the edge of this ledge where you cast your gaze off into the distance. From this vantage point you could see all of Lucis, the sun casting hopeful and glorious rays upon the hills and valleys through the coverage of nimbus clouds, and with your body trembling you could not remember the last time you had seen a more glorious view. Far off you could spot the Astor Slough and the Coernix Station, and even farther off you laid eyes upon the distinct shape of the Longwythe Peak.

Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. How many hikers and campers before you had been fortunate to discover this little peace of heaven on earth, just like you?

Perhaps right now this didn’t matter to you as you took in a deep breath and relished in the untainted air that filled your lungs. The pureness of the air that tickled your skin and the chorus of rustling leaves from above your head. Nothing else in the world mattered. All your worries gone.

And with your heart fluttering in your chest, it was as if you had awoken from a sudden dream that you remembered you were not here alone. You had this little sanctuary to share with someone else.

“ **What a pretty sight** …Absolutely beautiful…”

You smiled broadly as another gentle breeze danced over your cheeks, and Astrals you could not have agreed with any statement more than this.

“Gladio, this is incredible! I can’t believe this! Are you seeing this view? It’s amazing! I’ve never seen anything else like this in my whole life. Look at the-“

But as you turned around to look him, immediately you felt your heart stop in your chest and the entirety of your body go numb and hot. For it was not the panorama of Lucis that was presented before you, nor the flowers that circled the thicket nor the intricate ways that vines grew up and intertwined themselves through the grove of trees that protected you from the dangers of the outside world. No, it was none of this that Gladiolus was looking at.

For in this solitary moment in time, he saw nothing else. He was only looking at you.

You couldn’t breathe. That look. It was the same look from only moments ago, Gladio’s honey-amber eyes appearing lost in thought as if he was seeing something for the first time in his whole life. Those eyes, their warmth and the depth soothing like the scattered rays of sunshine that shone down upon your face, those that would not pry themselves away from you as you gazed at each other across the glade.

But your breast constricted even more. Gladio’s chest was rising and falling at a heavy but even pace, and this surely was not due to the physical exertion of your hike. His lips were parted as if breath failed him, and as he took a solitary step forward the massive pack that was on his back slacked from his frame and felt to the earth below with a thud. He was trembling, and in all the years of knowing him you had never seen him like this is in such a state, save for those moments in which adrenaline coursed through his veins after a strenuous training session.

“G-Gladio?” You said softly, and suddenly you became all too aware of the sweat that was accumulating in your hiking boots and between your breasts.

You saying his name seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he was in, for the Shield now smiled at you warmly. And yet, there was something restrained in his movements as he slowly made his way over to you. Your heart was slamming in your chest with each step that he took, and once again you became overly aware of the shifting of his muscles in his arms and chest under his taut skin ornamented by his intricate tattoo.

Another breeze tousled the waves of his brunette hair, and why your gaze suddenly became so focused on the infamous scar that ran down the left side of his face, you had no idea.

You were suffocating as Gladiolus finally reached you, and with a warm smile he circled behind you and helped lift the weight that was off your back. You sighed with relief, having not realized how the much the weight had actually been a burden to you, and slowly turning around you felt your skin go hot at the way he was looking down at you, his expression tender and wistful and yet ever so hard to read.

Today seemed like it was a lot of firsts for you. First time hiking in this part of Lucis. First time ever camping, so far away from civilization. And in the first time in your duration of knowing Gladiolus Amicticia, you were given the moment to appreciate how utterly breathtaking of a spectacle he was, this man whom had always been your dearest friend and yet you wished could have been something more.

How incredibly small and vulnerable you felt, standing here in front of the towering man as he looked down at you, his stature more than a head’s height over yours. You swallowed hard as for just a second your eyes glued themselves to the massive expanse of his chest. His chest was rising and falling to an entrancing rhythm that you just could pry your eyes away from. You breathed through your nostrils as best as you could, taking in the sudden smell of his delightful cologne combined with the slight bite of sweat brought upon by his exertion. The muscles within his arms flexed and twitched slightly and his hands laid delicately at his sides, and with your eyes trailing down ever so slightly to the way his tank stop stretched over his stomach and was tucked into the waist band of his jeans, you had to behave yourself as best as you could as to not seem the least bit suspicious that you thoughts were teetering towards a realm you had never truly allowed yourself to go to.

_Why…why am I suddenly so nervous? We’ve been alone together so many times. This isn’t the first. Then why can’t I hardly breathe? Why is my heart racing so fast?_

“Hey, you ok there, Y/N?” He suddenly asked you out of the blue, and once again his deep voice caused you to jump. Your eyes snapped upwards to stare into his, and with each passing second you prayed to the Astrals he wasn’t picking up on your change in behavior. And yet, all the while, it seemed as though you weren’t the only one who was struggling, for as your eyes locked with Gladio’s and your brain processed the way in which he spoke to you, you took note of how suddenly flustered he was.

But gods, you needed to stay composed right now before you actually WERE going to pass out. “Y-Yeah, I’m perfectly fine,” you said through shaky words as you smiled up at him. “I’m just a little bit loss for words right now. My first time out in the middle of nowhere and it’s pretty much the most damn magical place that I have ever scene in my life. And you’ve never been here before either?”

Gladio took a deep breath as though some of the tension finally relieved themselves from his shoulders. He turned to look out towards the vista, another gentle draft blowing through the waves of his hair. You could have died at the sight, but even more so you nipped your lower lip at the sight of the sudden blush that blemished his scruffy cheeks.

“Yeah, I’m just as much of a virgin to this place as you are,” he said with a grin, and your stomach flipped at his word choice. “I’ve read up a lot on old landmarks that have been forgotten about in Lucis, and this was one of them that caught my eye. Glad to feel lucky though, knowing that the Royal Library doesn’t have public access. I managed to read up on this place from a book I found there and so I don’t think many people know about it.

“That’s safe to say for sure,” you added, trying to keep yourself composed by maintaining the conversation. “I was going to say something back while we were hiking but I didn’t want to sound silly. The trail that we walked was pretty overgrown and precarious. It didn’t seem like it got a lot of wear.”

“You’re right about that,” Gladio replied, grinning. “But I have to say, even with me putting you through that, I’m really happy that we made it one piece. I’ve been wanting to try to find this place for years, ever since I was a teenager.”

You raised your eyebrow as you cast your glance up at him, his expression rather boyish and blissful. “Y-yeah? Really? Then…then why has it taken you so long to find this place out if you’ve known about it for years?”

To this Gladio paused, his body suddenly becoming still, and the sight of his frame being statuesque made your throat constrict. You felt rather foolish, knowing very much how the man’s time had been pressed all his life during your duration of knowing him, but seeing the way he cast his glance at you, perhaps you didn’t know the actual answer.

“Well, you know how it is at the Citadel,” he answered, seeming to read your mind. “Over the years it’s gotten increasingly harder to make it outside of the Crown City, having to keep an eye on Noct and then train with my dad to be his predecessor. And as with trying to help my dad juggle his responsibilities, well, I sort of just…gave up on the chance. But,” and he paused, seeming to take a deep breath to gather himself, “I realized I wanted to make this trip a special occasion one day, and so…I was sort of saving it for the right moment.”

Time suddenly stopped. Even with the bubbling of the brook nearby, the rustling of the dancing branches overhead, and the joyful outbursts of songbirds all around you, your ears became deaf to all but the words that escaped from Gladio’s lips. He turned to you slowly, a flush over his scruffy cheeks and you began to find your heart sputtering sporadically at the way his eyes gleamed as he looked at you.

You swallowed hard, your hands now in front of you and interlocked. “A-And…what moment was that, Gladio?” You murmured.

You watched his Adam’s apple shift in his throat, and taking a deep breath Gladio turned to face you directly. He opened his mouth to speak, halting for a moment as if trying to find the right words to say. He took a step closer to you, the slight shift of his presence suddenly making the temperature of the atmosphere go up tenfold, and Gods did you pray to the Astrals that he did not take note of how you were trembling like a leaf. You noted the way his fingers flexed as if moving his hands would allow him to speak, but finding the motion did not help him in the slightest, he finally spoke.

“I…I’ve been doing some thinking over the last few weeks,” he began, scratching his head as if doing such would distract him from the wavering in his voice, and you couldn’t help but find your mouth go dry at how his bicep flexed while he lifted his arm. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’ve gotten to a point in my head where I’ve been starting to have a lot of arguments with myself. Quite frankly, standing here right now I realize how much of an ass I’ve been. I usually pride myself in being more grounded when it comes to these types of things, and yet here I am, feeling like an idiot over not doing anything about this longer. Not saying anything like I should have. And the moment we found out about going away to Altissia and with having the deal with Noct’s wedding being put into place, well, I realized I couldn’t just let things go any longer.”

You felt you could hardly keep yourself upon two feet, and how Gladio came to stand so close to you all of a sudden you had no idea. He was towering over you, his brows drawn together and his honey eyes emanating a stare that made your chest tighten, and with his lips parting you found you were at your wits end in wanting to know what exactly was on his mind.

You opened your mouth to speak but your words betrayed you. Each syllable cracked and squeaked like you were stepping on a stage in front of an audience for the first time. “A-And…What is it…that you’ve been wanting to say?” You asked him, your voice almost a whisper.

Gladio inhaled sharply as if he was about to break any second. “I-I’ve known you for how long, Y/N?” He began. “How many years have a I known you. I’ve known you longer than most of he people who work with my father. I’ve known you longer than a lot of my friends and acquaintances. Hell, I’ve known you longer than even Prompto. All these years and you’ve always been there supporting what I do. You’ve waited around a lot for me all this time, dealing with the nonsense I go through, and yet you never once bitched. You never once complained about the moments I had to tell you I was too busy and couldn’t see you. How many times I wasn’t there to support you when you were going through your own shit because I had my duties to the Crown. I didn’t deserve all of that from you. And that’s why even right now, even with what I’m about to say to you makes me feel like a fool. Bringing you all the way up here, knowing that you could very well reject what I have to say to you. But,” and he was completely flushed now, the sight of the intimidating Shield beyond composed and confident startling you behind belief,” I just hope that I can make amends to all that I have failed you with before it’s too late.”

You couldn’t breathe. Gods, you couldn’t breathe. Since when did it get so hot outside? But with your lips parted and every single fiber and nerve in your body set in an inexplicable blaze, little had you realized that in some point or another, your hands had made their way upwards and were now braced upon the broad chest of Gladiolus Amicitia.

“G-Gladio…?”

He appeared as if struggling for his words, him seeming to suddenly realize your tiny hands splayed over his chest. The tension emanating from his body was so thick you could cut it with his broadsword. But seeing that the Coeurl was now out of the bag, the Shield realized he had no choice but to plunge forward.

“Y/N…I…I’m crazy about you. Gods, all this time how long I’ve known you and it’s taken me all this time to come out and say it to you. But I was so worried what saying so would mean to you.” Gladio was shaking now, and with the man towering over you he gently grasped upon your shoulders to steady himself, his words now tumbling out of his mouth freely like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “All these years, with how close we were as friends, I had never thought anything of how our relationship would change as we got older. And then of course shit got real. Life got harder. And the burdens of keeping the Crown and the King safe got to me. I had to stay true to my duty. That had to be my focus. And yet, you were always there and you’ve always stuck around as I’ve dealt with my shit. But gods am I an ass right now. I’m going to be leaving soon, and now I’m just coming out to say this. I’ve always prided myself on being a man of honor in not making someone wait around. It look me watching you hike up this hill and carrying all that weight on your back because you didn’t want to burden me with more to make me finally say all this. But Gods, Y/N, I’m crazy about you and hate myself for only saying this now, right before I leave. I couldn’t hold this in any longer though and I just hope that you don’t hate me for dangling you on a thread like this, of all times…”

You were speechless, and the tremors coursing through your body were beyond your control. Your chest was heaving and now your hands were gripping at the fabric of Gladio’s tank top. Your skin was hot. So unbearably hot, and the longer you stood there with the searing sensation coursing down your spine, the sooner you were going to throw yourself off the ledge of this glade for salvation. You were on your tippy toes and without even realizing you were doing it, your hands had moved upwards to hold the sides of Gladio’s face. His flesh was searing, his skin coated in a slight sheen of sweat. You had never seen the man like this before, ever. Even his post-training cool-down sessions couldn’t come close to comparing to this. He was unraveled. He’s was vulnerable. His wit and bravado and poise were for naught. The man known as the Shield finally lowered his own. And gods were you going to finally lower yours too…

“Gladio…I…Oh gods, I could never hate you. Never in a million years.” And your face was so hot now that you could hardly stand it. “The opposite. The exact opposite. I don’t even know what to say now. I’m afraid that if I keep my mouth moving for much longer I’m also going to sound foolish. Gladio, I…” And you felt a wetness rolling down the side of your cheek, an unbearable happiness overwhelming you as you steadied yourself with palms spread over his cheeks. “I’m so glad you told me this. Because I…I think about you all the time. And perhaps,” and you smiled bashfully through your flush, “perhaps you make me a little less sane too…”

Gladio inhaled sharply as his hands covered yours, and you blushed more deeply at the feel of his seemingly massive hands covering your own. He was blushing too, and it appeared he was doing all he could to keep himself composed. He gaze tore right through you , his breath heavy and heated upon your face as you angled up to look at him. You readied your mouth to utter your next words, but Gladio beat you to it.

“Can I kiss you?” He murmured softly, the deep timbre of his voice causing your skin to prickle.

Your eyes enlarged, his overtly gentlemanly request making your stomach flutter and dance. Your fingertips pressed more firmly into his cheeks, his grip upon your hands helping to steady you as you found your lips already making the motion to reply to his needs.

“Yes, Gladio. Oh Astrals yes…”

There were no words to describe the electricity that coursed through you as your lips touched, and within seconds you felt yourself for shortness of breath at the surprisingly tender way his plump lips maneuvered over yours. You whimpered against his mouth, your heart set ablaze over the thought of a lifetime of bonding with this beautiful man as friends lead to this single moment of sharing one another’s company as newfound lovers. He sighed against your mouth, his hands cupping the side of your face and holding you close to him, and not knowing what to do with your suddenly free hands you moved your digits back to the planes of his pectorals.

You were blushing more feverishly now, but in more than one part of your body; while you had never ignored the superb physique of the man in which you kissed, his stature more than impressive as you watched him train or even while you read books together, it wasn’t until this moment in time that you truly could appreciate the feel of his rock-hard pectorals through his shirt. You were gasping, your body blazing with a sudden desire to see more, knowing how hard he trained to obtain the body that even an Astral would be jealous of in comparison.

He continued to kiss you, your brain not comprehending all that you felt within you heart and body when suddenly Gladio scooped you up within his arms and cradled you, carrying you back over to the center of the clearing. You clutched onto him for dear life, flushing even further over the notion of how he carried you with such ease like you weighed as nothing, and lowering himself to one knee he sat you gently upon the ground and joined you at your side. He cupped your face again, his broad fingers brushing over your lower lip. Gods, how shy you suddenly became at the way he looked at you like he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life, and clearing his throat he once more attempted to keep his self-control.

“Are…are you alright?” He murmured, the overly confident Shield suddenly appearing like a flustered mess.

You laughed softly to help keep your wits about you, and biting your lower lip you nodded in response. “M-More than fine,” you uttered breathlessly. But feeling suddenly the urge to keep up your usual playful demeanor with him, you smiled at him lopsidedly. “Although I could ask you the same thing. You’re a little…breathless right now. And to think you hiked all the way up here with ease.”

Gladio’s lips broadened into his very usual shit-eating grin, and in one swift motion he captured your lips with his once more. Your eyes widened at how he slid his body alongside yours, the friction of his frame against yours causing you to squirm slightly as he grasped ahold of your cheeks and kissed you firmly but gently. “For your information, I think I have a little bit more reason right now to need to catch my breath,” he retorted back, breaking the kiss for just a second to pull you more closely to him. “Conquering climbing a mountain is an easy task for amateurs.”

Your eyes widened at his statement, and even Gladio suddenly seemed to realize the insinuation of what he said. Blushing, you nipped your lower lip as you hid your eyes away from him, but seeing your reaction he gently cupped your chin in his hand. Looking you deeply in the eyes, all playfulness was aside for the moment as he studied your face. “Hey, are you sure you are ok?” He asked you softly. “I…I know this is all really sudden. I don’t want you to feel scared or obligated or –“

You pressed your lips to his, and one way or another you found yourself straddling his lap, your forehead pressed to his as you clutched onto his shoulders. He was right. This was all so fast. Just hours ago you would feign yourself a fool to think that he would ever see you in such a light, and yet here he was, all this time envisioning you as something more that you could only hope for.

Then perhaps this _wasn’t_ too fast. As you sat upon his lap, his hands brushing over your legs and caressing your upper thighs to help appease your shaking limbs, perhaps this was all meant to be.

And Astrals did it feel as natural as the realm of beauty that surrounded you.

Because gods, did this feel so inborn. So effortless. It felt so right. Parting lips with him for just a second, you nipped your lip and blushed. “I could never feel scared with you, Gladio. I feel safe right now. This feels right. I like being here with you, all alone. I’m happy…”

Gladio’s eyes lit up as you said this, and with a grin spreading over his lips once more he straightened himself in his seated position and wrapped his arms around your lower back. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he rumbled, pressing his lips to yours and peppering you with the most surprisingly gentle of kisses. Gods how your brain could not wrap itself around the notion that this fearsome man could be so gentle, but the more you sat upon his lap and kissed him back like your life depended upon it, the more you felt every worry and fear that you ever possessed in your life suddenly melt away from your body. “Y/N…you’re…you’re beautiful, you know that?”

Your heart constricted in your chest. Just like he said before, but this time you knew that he was surely talking to you. You pressed your lips to his cheek, feeling suddenly very self-conscious about the way that you, someone so average compared to this god-like man, could be seen by him as someone so attractive. But nestling your face into the crook of his neck, you could hardly formulate your words as Gladio’s broad hands gently coursed their way down your spine.

“I-I think I could say the same thing about you too, Mr. Amicitia,” you said playfully, finding the courage to look him in the eyes as you squirmed slightly at the feel of his hands gently massaging your back.

His classic arrogant grin spread over his lips. “Yeah, I suppose you could say I’m not so bad myself,” he added with a chuckle. Brushing his lips over yours, he inhaled deeply, seeming to be very much caught in a state of bliss. “But seriously, I mean it when I say it, Y/N: Six damn it, you’re beautiful and I’m the biggest dumbass in the world for never telling you that. I’m just glad as hell that you’re giving me a chance to tell you now.”

Your hands were upon his shoulders and feeling the heat between your bodies pressed together suddenly became almost too unbearable. You shifted slightly on his lap, swallowing hard at the feel of his rock-hard thighs brushing against the bottom of yours. Gods how anxious you were feeling, and yet all in all, as anyone who has been friends with someone for so long fears a change in a relationship would ruin that bond, you felt a weight of burden lifted from your shoulders, knowing he had no intentions of ever turning his head away from you.

This all felt so natural. It felt so right. You and him, all alone to relish in the privacy of each other’s presence.

But even still, as he brushed his lips over your cheeks and nuzzled his face against the crook of your neck, you couldn’t help but feel yourself get extremely hot and flustered over the sudden realization of the pressure that was pressing into your behind as you straddled his lap.

He found you beautiful, that’s for certain. And perhaps he’s was thinking of you on more than one level.

_Dear gods…_

You swallowed hard, failing miserably at hiding your sudden discovery of his arousal “I wouldn’t call you the biggest dumbass necessarily,” you began, “but even still, I think that even if you were, I’d find room in my heart to forgive you and give you a chance to make it up to me somehow…”

You noticed the flicker in Gladio’s gaze and how his pupils broadened, and somehow incited by your words his hands wrapped more tightly around your back, holding you in place. He pressed his lips to yours, his breathing rather uneven, and pulling away for just a moment and pressing his forehead to yours, he appeared as if suddenly strained to find words. “Y/N, I…I…”

You raised an eyebrow, sensing a sudden nervousness in him that was close to rivaling your own. “Gladdy, what is it?” You asked him. “You…you don’t have to be shy with me. How long have you known me again? I think we are kind of after that point of introductions after all…”

He laughed at this, and in response he pressed his lips to yours again, him nipping your lower lip which sent a jolt of pleasure and happiness down to your gut and loins. It was getting seemingly more impossible to remain situated in this position any longer, the pressure pressing up against your loins through your jeans that were slowly starting to become glued against your panties. You tried to ignore this, praying to the gods that Gladio wasn’t keen enough with his senses to take note of you attempting to squirm on his lap.

The Shield finally managed to gather his words. “True, but still. I might think more with my muscles than my brain at times, but even yet, I don’t like to just blurt stuff out without thinking things through.” His hands were upon your waist, the feel of his massive palms laying upon you in such a way making you feel giddy beyond compare. “I just…well, I wanna make sure I do things the right way. Like I said, I don’t ever want to seem like I’m being an ass or pressuring somewhere and I sure as hell don’t want to come across with the wrong intentions. Maybe I’m a bit traditional at heart when it comes to that stuff.” You raised your eyebrow to this, wondering what on earth he was starting to get at. Seeing your look, he continued. “Y/N, I should have done this the right way. I should haven taken you out on a real date to dinner or something. I don’t want to ever seem like I’m rushing but-“

You cut him off with your finger pressed to his lip, and you couldn’t help but laugh and shake your head. “You do realize that I’ve known you for over ten years, right? All those places we went together and all the times we chomped down on Cup Noodles? Gladio, I think you’ve certainly had more than enough opportunities where you took me out on ‘dates.’ And besides,” you paused, lifting your hands from his shoulders to motion around you, “I think this is the icing on the cake. This is the most incredible place that I’ve ever been to and I don’t think you realize how thrilled it makes me that you waited to come here yourself so you could bring me with you. So I can say,” and you grinned, “that you aren’t rushing things, to say the least. If anything, you kept me waiting.”

“That’s…that’s not what I fully meant,” he murmured quietly, and to this you felt your heart jolt almost painfully in your chest. He shifted under you, and refraining from yelping, for a second you felt your eyes go wide at his protuberance that once again was pressing harshly into your behind through his jeans. “I’m mad about you, Y/N. Gods, I adore you and you’re so incredibly beautiful. I just well…I want to convince you of that with more than just words, and I’m honestly terrified of scaring you away by showing you that…”

This confession to you was certainly no surprise given the physicality of his current state of arousal for you, and yet, hearing such a vulnerable notion from him further made your heart patter uncontrollably in your chest. Swallowing hard, biting your lip to keep yourself steady from showing him just how anxious you were, you began to trail your fingers down the length of his arms, your eyes finally taking the moment to truly appreciate the elaborate inkwork of his bird tattoo that stretched over parts his chest and the length of his biceps. “I don’t think you would ever have to worry about scaring me away,” you said softly, looking back up into his eyes and smiling bashfully. “If I was so afraid I think I would have run away ages ago.”

Gladio’s amber eyes broadened like an excited child at his own birthday party, and yet seeing the shift of his Adam’s apple in his throat, you could tell that he was fighting with every ounce of his willpower to keep himself in control. “Are…are you sure?” He asked you huskily, his words straining through is vocal chords. “Are you sure you are positively ok with moving forward with this?”

You nipped your lower lip again, fluttering your lashes at him, and your shyness suddenly became very apparent. It was almost like a vice grip was tightening around your loins, and as if Infernian himself set fire to the depths of your core, you swallowed hard, your next words the final declaration of no turning back. “Y-Yes, Gladio. And I wouldn’t feel safer with anyone else but you.”

That was all the man needed to hear as a groan left his mouth and he began to kiss you once more, none the less tenderly but all the more passionately and hungrily as he snaked his hands up to the back your head and gently grabbed onto to the braid that held your hair in place. He was shaking with excitement as his lips parted yours, his eyes never leaving yours and his lips smiling broadly as his hands began to undo the plait of hair, strand by strand. You couldn’t help but blush at this, finding such an action overly sweet and intimate at the same time; perhaps his experience in having a younger sister Iris who surely at some point or another forced her brother to braid her hair helped him expertly undo the locks of your own. It wasn’t until your hair was now fully undone and tousled freely about your shoulders did you find yourself utterly lost for words. His hands immediately snaked their way through the strands as he pulled you in closer to kiss you once again, and with a whimper escaping your lips, you steadied yourself with your hands upon his shoulders to keep up with his pace.

_This feels so right. This feels like it’s meant to be, like I could have only dreamed of…._

Gladio pulled away from you once again, and with his pupils blown and his chest rising and falling heavily, your stomach tied in anxious and nervous knots over the notion that the sturdy Shield was slowly starting to crumble and lose his sense of restraint. And still, the knight controlled himself as best as he could. “L-Let me know if I’m moving to fast, ok?” He asked roughly. Finding yourself breathless, your breasts heaving within the confines of your shirt, you bit your lower lip and nodded to him. Gladio let go of your hair and reached down to grasp at the hems of his shirt, and leaning back and lifting his arms upward he pulled the garment up and over his torso and tossed it to the ground next to him.

Instantly your mouth went dry (or watered, you couldn’t even tell). It wasn’t that you had never seen Gladiolus shirtless before, having witnessed him training with Noctis and his fellow companions all of these years and even on occasion when he was seen running laps around the Citadel. But this? You had never seen his naked torso before in such proximity, and swallowing hard, your palms fell upon his bare pectorals and took note of how incredibly hot his flesh was. You found humor in how only moments ago you declared your confidence and safety in the man, and yet now, seeing so much of his naked flesh right beneath your hands made you nervous as hell. Nipping your lower lip and knowing that you were blushing crimson, your gaze fell to a birthmark that was slightly off center between the defining line of his pectorals.

 _My gods, he’s gorgeous_ , you thought girlishly to yourself as if this wasn’t something you didn’t already know. _And yet there is me. Me of all people, sitting right here within his lap._

Your hands were inadvertently making their way down towards his belly button, the feel of his defined abdominals flexing under your fingertips unlike anything you had ever felt. Gladiolus sighed heavily as your fingers gave special attention to each muscle and you managed to steady yourself as he shifted underneath you.

“Hey, Y/N, look at me,” he murmured softly, and bashfully you did so. His amber eyes were glowing radiantly, his parted lips smiling softly at you as he cupped your chin in his broad hand. “It’s ok. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere at all…”

But despite how horribly nervous you were, you were getting more and more anxious by the second to feel his naked frame pressed up against yours. Hiding your shyness by trailing soft kisses down the scar on his face and over his thick eyebrows for just a moment, you stopped your kisses and shakily grasped ahold of your own tank top, lifting the garment up over your head. You threw it to the ground beside you, but feeling suddenly overly self-conscious, you attempted to burry your face in the nook of Gladio’s neck.

Despite your embarrassment, Gladiolus seemed to think otherwise, a soft groan leaving his lips as he gently grasped ahold of the sides of you face and held you in place. He could only stare at you in all, his eyes darting to every exposed inch of your flesh, over the mounds of your breasts and down the line of your stomach and to your belly button.

“Don’t hide from me,” he remarked reassuringly as you noted the way his nostrils flared and his eyes darkened at the sight of your uncovered skin. “You are beautiful and I want to see more of you for who you are…”

You wanted to sob with happiness at his tender words, and not wanting to keep him any longer, nor holding yourself back, you pressed your lips to his and kissed him with all the passion and adoration in the world, a delightful sigh muffled between your lips as you snaked your hands to the back of his head. His brunette waves were surprisingly softer than you expected, your fingers intertwining in the silken strands as you steadied yourself upon his lap. Gladio groaned in response, his lips meeting yours more harshly as his hands gripped almost painfully at your hips, causing you to yelp. Astrals how good did it feel to have your stomach pressed to his, your dainty frame held within the firm and protective confines of his grasp, and never before in your life had you felt something anything so reassuring.

You whimpered, finding yourself trembling uncontrollably when suddenly Gladio’s hands shifted from your waist and down to grasp gently at your buttocks. You whimpered against his lips, finding your eyes go wide as he lifted himself to one knee and maneuvered your body so that you were now lying upon the ground. He shifted over you, his gargantuan frame instantly blanketing yours as his lips parted yours and moved down the side of your neck. You whimpered again, shifting beneath him and finding yourself suddenly overly breathless to the weight of his torso pressed to yours, and squirming beneath him you suddenly became overly aware of the tickling sensation of lichen and moss rubbing against your back and the bulge of Gladiolus that was pressed against your right thigh.

Taking note of your motions, Gladio lifted his head from your neck to look down at you. His pupils were fully blown, the amber of his eyes almost gone as he gaped at you with parted lips and flushed cheeks. His chest was rising and falling and a thin sheen of sweat was coating his glorious face and chest and arms, and with him bracing his one hand upon the side of your head, the other now trailing down your hip, you were essentially locked in place by the Shield who straddled your tiny frame.

“A-Are you alright, Y/N?” He said breathlessly, and gods did your loins tighten at the very sound of restraint in this voice that he was trying to uphold for you out of the sake of his honor and respect for you.

You squirmed underneath him, his gaze piercing into the very depths of your soul and making you feel rather giddy. You reached up to touch his face, finding pleasure in how warm his cheeks were. “Y-Yes Gladio. I’m more than fine. Perfect in fact.”

But you squirmed again, not due to discomfort but from excitement at his concern for you, but Gladio seemed to take this otherwise. Looking your torso up and down for just a second and reaching to your hair to pull out a stray leaf that had gotten tangled in your strands, his eyes widened as if suddenly appalled. “Y/N, your bare back is on the ground. S-Shit, let me get out the blanket so you can lay on that and- “

But sitting up as best as you could, you gently took a hold of both sides of his face and kissed him to silence him. “N-No, Gladdy, it’s ok,” you said with hushed words and a bashful smile on your face. “I…I want to do this the way that nature would intend us to do. I want to feel the earth and the sun. I want to feel you.”

It was as though something snapped within his mind, like his mammalian instincts forced aside all logic present within the mind of a man. Inhaling sharply, Gladio’s nostrils flared and his Adam’s apple bobbed within his throat, and resuming his position over you he once again pressed his lips passionately to yours. As he braced his elbow on the side of your head, his other hand snaked down in between your bellies, and with wide eyes you felt his hand maneuver over the button of his jeans. How he was able to miraculously undo his pants while never missing a beat as his lips hungrily danced over yours you had no idea, but for a moment Gladio lifted himself off and to the side of you. He seemed desperate and frustrated now, and sitting to the side for a second he hastily untied his boots, yanked them off his feet, and pushed them to the side. With his hands fumbling with the hem of his jeans, you watched in complete awe as the waist band slipped down over his powerfully large and sculpted thighs and over his ankles. Ridding himself of the garb, he resumed his attention back to you, but before he could make motion to resume his position over you, he stopped in his tracks, taking note of the expression plastered over your face.

Gods, was your flesh burning. Not just from the heat of the late afternoon and not just solely from the contact of the Shield’s body. You tried not to stare. Gods, you tried not to gape as your eyes trailed from the heat emanating from his eyes down to his massive chest and sculpted abdominals and over his thick thighs and defined calves. But you swallowed hard. You tried to be subtle but just couldn’t. Nipping your lip, your eyes fell to the very distinct protuberance that was hardly being contained within his tight briefs, the fabric stretching and looking ready to tear.

Your loins twitched. Gods, did they suddenly ache and like a dam bursting forth did you find yourself pressing your thighs together to make your arousal less obviously known.

Or smelled for that matter.

But damn Gladio for taking note, and even through all this while he was trying to be nothing but the upmost gentleman and respect your level of readiness, his infamously smug smile crossing his lips as he shifted himself to the base of your feet. You watched him move all the while, trying your best to focus your gaze on his face, but doing so only made it harder for you to keep composed as his amorous amber eyes stared into yours.

He placed his hands upon your ankles, the touch causing you to jump. “You ok, Y/N?” He asked you softly, and the rumble in his voice made your spine burn.

“Y-Yes,” you squeaked back, bracing your hands by your sides as to not fall over. He was so beautiful but Astrals no matter how much you thought you were confident in all of this, your wits were faltering beyond what you’d expect. “I’m just…just…”

“You’re what?” Gladio cut in, smiling at you and flashing his bright teeth, and for just a second you watched his eyes flicker to your chest and stomach.

“I’m in awe right now,” you blurted out, nipping your lower lip as you gawked at him. “Gladdy, you’re…you’re gorgeous.”

He laughed at this, the sound of his amusement causing your heart to burst with joy. “Well, I will say the exact same thing of you. Although,” and he paused, his expression going serious. “I’d…I’d like to see a little more so I have reason to praise you even more…”

Your eyes went wide, finding your legs shaking like the leaves in the trees above you as your gaze focused to his hands that were placed on your ankles. _But of course_ , you thought, swallowing hard and wishing the Astrals could help you maintain your confidence. _Relax, Y/N_ ….

“It’s ok, Y/N,” Gladio cut, sensing your anxiousness. “You tell me what to do, ok?”

You nodded to him, blushing back at him. Adjusting yourself upon your behind, you slowly lifted one leg and extended it towards his chest. Wiggling your boot, you batted your lashes at him. “Will you…will you do me the honors, Gladio?”

The Behemoth of a man inhaled harshly, his eyes flickering like flames at your given consent. You bracing your heel upon his knee, Gladio began to expertly undo the laces of your boot, quickly removing the shoe and sock from your foot. He followed suite with the other, taking care to not rush his motions as he pried the other heavy boot from your foot to expose your wriggling toes. You sighed with relief, not realizing just how hot your feet had become during the duration of this session, and with Gladio’s hand resting back on your ankles, his grip upon them firm but shaking, you realized what he wanted to do next.

And so you nodded to him, blushing and lifting your leg once more.

He inhaled sharply, and taking care not to startle you with quick motions, he moved himself over your lap and began to undo the button of your jeans. You whimpered, the pressure of the garment around your waist suddenly relieved, and with him shifting down your legs you lifted your buttocks so that he culled pull the garment down your thighs and ankles. Pulling them carefully over your ankles, he sat your pants on the ground and now stared at you, his lips parted and his chest rising and falling at an uneven level he examined you.

You saw something twitch within his briefs.

_Dear Astrals…_

“Y/N, gods…You’re stunning,” Gladio murmured, his face hot and his skin coated in a sheen of sweat. Before you even realized it he was over you once more, his body blanketing yours completely as he began to kiss your face and lips and run his hands down your sides. You whimpered, his painfully slow ministrations driving you nuts, and you could only wonder how he wasn’t at his wit’s end after all this time.

He was a man of discipline after all. Gods how much you envied him right now for that.

“G-Gladio,” you whimpered beneath him, grabbing onto whatever bit of muscle you could grasp on him.

“Y-Yeah, Y/N?” He replied, lifting his face and bracing his weight upon his elbows. He was smiling at you, that dashing roguish smile that always made your heart flutter all these years.

You shifted beneath him, and almost as if nature instructed you, you instinctually wrapped your legs around his waist, the motion causing Gladio’s breathing to instantly spike. “I...um…Don’t make fun of me, ok?”

Gladio suddenly laughed and kissed your forehead, his groin pressing into yours teasingly with just the right amount of pressure and causing you to whine. “Make fun of you?” He asked through heavy words. “Why the hell would I ever make fun of you?”

“B-Because,” you cut in, trying to find your words. “You’re making me extremely giddy right now and quite frankly I’m pretty sure that I forgot how my hands function. I’m sorry I’m underwhelming to you in this moment.”

Gladio laughed again and cupped your face in his large hand. “That’s the craziest bullshit I’ve ever heard. Underwhelming? Have you, uh, noticed what you’re doing to me right now?” And he pressed himself a little more closely to you, causing you to gasp loudly, the air from your lungs piercing the stillness of these sunny woods. Gladio smirked at you, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “I think I can forgive you for the hands though. Not gonna lie, I’m not as smooth right now as I want to be either.”

You were blushing so much that it hurt as you laughed at his response. “I think I can forgive you too then,” you said, smiling up at him. Biting your lower lip, your fingers began to trail over his perfectly sculpted chest. “I…I think I’m ready though,” you added bashfully.

Gladio’s breathing hitched again, and it appeared as though in his own excitement of the whole situation he finally realized exactly what you meant. You squirmed underneath him, your pantied-loin entirely soaked and rubbing against his briefs, and with his eyes widening and darkening he grinned at you. “Just promise me you’ll let me know if I’m moving too fast, ok?” He choked through heavy words.

Biting your lip, you nodded, and that was the more consent Gladio needed as he pressed his lips to you once more. His kisses were fervent, his groin harshly pressing into yours, and with his hand reaching underneath your back you felt with your eyes widen as his digits worked their way over the clasp of your bra. You squeaked, feeling the clasps unhinge, but sighing with relief you had only but now realized just how uncomfortable the garment felt over your breasts. Gladio worked his hand back to your shoulders were he one by one worked the straps down over your arms, and you removing your hands from his body for just a second allowed him to work the straps away from you. But with the breeze of the afternoon air coasting over your fully exposed breasts and nipples, you suddenly once again became extremely conscious over realizing that you were almost entirely naked. Out of instinct you went to fold your arms over your chest, but before you could do so Gladio maneuvered his hand and gently pinned your arms to the side.

_Goodness, dear Astrals…._

All this time, you had only just realized how unbelievably behaved Gladio was. Even with only your bra on he had made no notion to touch your breasts out of respect for your readiness; seeing you laying underneath him now in such a manner, panting and with your breasts heaving and your cheeks flushed was a different story. Giving you a look of pleading, you nodded to him, and in one surprisingly smooth motion he placed his massive hand over your left breast and squeezed ever so gently. You cried out, the sensation already too unbearable, the feel of the heat from his palm feeling as if it was meant to touch you in such a manner his whole life.

“G-Gladio,” you choked, arching your back as he began to carefully massage the mound of flesh. “Oh gods yes…”

The salaciousness of your words caused the bulge within his briefs to twitch against your loins, and so reaching down with his lips he captured your free nipple within his mouth. You cried out at the touch, throwing your head back against the earth beneath you and wriggling your toes in the air. Grasping at the back of his head you began to tug at his hair, whimpering and moaning as his lips brushed over the peak of your hardened nipple, and all the while he was moaning softly as his hand squeezed your other breast.

“You are so damn beautiful,” Gladio cooed as he lifted his head to look you in the eyes. “I’m a god damn idiot for never seeing you like this all this time.”

You laughed, your legs around his waist quivering, and swallowing hard you tried to gather your words as his hand brushed over both of your breasts. “M-Maybe I’m going to call you a little bit dumb right now,” you remarked playfully as you braced your hands upon his forearms. “But quite frankly right now I can’t think of any other insults to throw at you because you’re making my mind go completely dumb itself.”

Gladio chuckled, a smirk spreading over his lips, and he moved his face down to kiss your lips gently. “Then I guess I’ll take your attempt at an insult as a compliment.”

“G-Gladdy?” You said, trying to keep your composure.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Gods, a little part of you just died and melted like a Crème Brule.

“Could you…” You tried to say, nipping at your lower lip as you gazed up at him. “Could you do me the honors again, please?”

You angled your eyes downwards to your waist line of your panties, and with the largest grin imaginable on his face, Gladio nodded. “I thought you’d never ask…”

There was no going back now, and with Gladio shifting over your body, his hands latched onto the waist band of your panties and pulled them down, every so slowly. Gods, how you were dying each second as you watched the drenched little garment slip down your thighs and over your shins, and lifting your legs you watched as Gladio pulled them away from your ankles, completely freeing you and exposing you to him in your entirety.

“S-Shit…Y/N…”

The Shield could only gape at you as you lay before him, his amber eyes completely black and his nostrils flaring as his eyes locked onto your drenched entrance. Seeing him stare, out of self-consciousness you attempted to seal your thighs shut, but before your legs could even clamp together Gladio grabbed a hold of your knees and held your legs open.

“N-No, please don’t hide yourself, Y/N,” he said through strained words, and feeling like you were suffocating you watched with wide eyes the straining within his briefs only intensify. “Please don’t hide yourself from me. You’re gorgeous, and let me show you just how beautiful I think you are...”

You didn’t even have a chance to respond, for before you even realized it, Gladio was situated between your legs and reached underneath your legs to grab ahold of your buttocks. He lifted your lower body up with complete ease, and inhaling deeply he pressed his lips to the intricate pink folds that surrounded your entrance. Immediately you cried out and gripped at the mossy ground beneath you to steady yourself, the sudden sensation of his lips and tongue gliding smoothly over your wet folds something beyond what your brain was expecting.

“G-Gladio!” You almost sobbed, the pleasure almost too unbearable before he even began, and with your toes squirming you brought your legs up and situated your feet upon his back.

“Astrals, Y/N, your taste…dear gods…” he remarked through labored words, and feeling completely embarrassed you managed to angle your head upwards to look down at him. His eyes were hazy and his face was hot, and feeling his massive hands tremble and grip at your behind you fought immensely to formulate words. Sucking on your bud, his throat vibrated in absolute delight. “Y-you’re…you’re already soaked…”

“J-Jeesh, I-I wonder why,” you said breathlessly, gritting your teeth and throwing your head back against the earth. You would be rather foolish to say that you never once didn’t have your thoughts linger on the naughtier side of what the Shield was capable of, but in this moment nothing could have prepared you for the euphoric sensations coursing through your bloodstream and nerves as his tongue gently plunged past your folds and began to lap inside the entrance of your passage. You cried out again, grabbing at his hair and arching your back, sobbing with absolute need of needing to be filled with more than just his tongue.

The Shield chuckled softly and you could almost punch him for finding humor in the way you were trembling around him. Removing his tongue from your bud, he lifted his head and pressed his palms more firmly into your behind, keeping you in place. “I suppose that’s fair,” he said breathlessly, and seeing you laying there completely naked before him caused his nostrils to flare once again. “I just…well…”

You had only now realized just how heavily your heart was slamming in your chest. “Y-You what, Gladdy?”

“I just…I don’t want to hurt you is all,” he said rather bashfully, much to your surprise. “I’m just…well, glad to know that you’re a little bit prepared.”

You bit your lip, finding your heart constrict at his upmost level of concern for your well being and comfort. Gods, you could care less now about any of those nasty rumors and remarks you heard about him that floated around the Citadel, as with each passing second, he was beginning to prove every single one of those people more wrong than ever.

“I’m r-ready,” you reassured him. “I can’t name the last time I’ve been readier for anything in my whole life.”

The Shield chuckled softly, and slowly letting go of your buttocks he raised himself off the ground and onto his knee before you. He reached down to pull you into a sitting position, his hand softly gripping the back of your head and placing a soft kiss upon your lips. “Are you…are you sure? Are you absolutely certain that this is what you want? That you want me in this way?”

You could have cried. Gods, how safe you felt as he brushed his hand over your cheek and you grabbed at his hand to steady yourself. “Yes, Gladio, please..”

And so, bringing himself to a standing position, he took a deep breath, gripped at the waist band of his jeans, and divested himself of his final bit of raiment.

Gods, were you _not_ prepared as you thought you were as you brought your hand up to your mouth and stared up at the Shield. He was glorious like an Astral himself, the rays of sun splattering over the planes of his chest and shoulders and the wind blowing through his soft stresses. You were speechless as you watched the way his pectorals rose and fell with heavy, bated breasts, the muscles in his thighs flexing and twitching as you admired him, fully exposed, and without even realizing it you shifted yourself upon your knees and braced your palms upon the mossy earth as you admired him for all he was.

But _gods_ were you blushing. Gods was your flesh lit ablaze like the afternoon sun and gods were your drenched loins twitching and throbbing with need as your eyes fell to the magnificent girth that swung between his legs, and you sobbed with delight and apprehension at the thought of what it could make you feel. It was arched upright, the slight curve of the girth pointing upright towards your direction, the flesh reddened from what seemed like hours of torturous and delightful foreplay. Your face flushed immensely, for you could not help but notice the distinct vein that pulsated on its underside and the slight glistening at its tip to signify his own readiness for you.

But his _girth_. He was by no means inhuman in size but you were so _small_ in stature in comparison, and with your breath quickening and your body trembling you began to fear just how on earth you would be able to accommodate his need to be inside of you. You swallowed hard, biting your lip and wanting to run in fear of failing him, but you could hardly find the strength to move your legs that were glued to the mossy ground below.

Gladio was quick to pick up on your apprehension, and despite the air of confidence this man carried, you noticing very quickly how despite the fact he was more than proud and excited to show off his body to you, the tender side of his affections towards you outweighed his desire for you a moment longer as he took a stride closer to and lowered himself onto one knee. You jumped at his movement, finding your flesh unbearably hot once more it was all you could do to keep your gaze locked onto his eyes and not the impressive shaft that was mere inches from your breasts.

“Y/N, a-are you ok?” Gladio breathed, him trying to remain composed as he kneeled so closed to your naked and overly aroused body. “A-Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m just fine” you breathed, nipping at your lower lip, and avoiding his gaze for just a moment longer you looked down to see that your hands had torn up piles of moss and were gripping them between your fingers. “Just…just a little bit…intimidated perhaps?”

Gladio blushed deeply, and no matter how hard he tried he could not help but smirk at your indirect compliment. Reaching out to touch your face, the movement of his hands reminding you once again that his manhood was swaying in your direction, you quickly reached up to place your hand over his to focus your attention on own face.

“I-I’m not going to hurt you,” he said through strained words, and despite the arousal burning in those amber eyes, his face was masked with concern and affection. “I’m going to try my best not to, that is. I promise you. And if I am, I want you to tell me so I can stop. I never want to hurt you. Ever.”

You whined, feeling suddenly overwhelmed and undeserving to have this man care for you so much, and shifting on your knees you reached up and grasped ahold of his face, your lips brushing over his and your fingertips grazing over the scruff of his cheeks and goatee. “I trust you, Gladio,” you said breathlessly. “I…I just want to make you feel good, too. Can you let me do that for you?”

Gladio groaned and pressed his lips to yours, and him nipping slightly at your lower lip, his hands began to tremble upon your face. “Y-Yes,” he said. “ _Gods_ , yes, sweetheart.”

And so with Gladio raising himself back upon two feet again, his shaft hovering mere inches towards your face, you took the deepest breath of your life and reached out to touch his length.

Immediately the Behemoth of a man hissed as your soft hands began to move and glide over the length of his shaft, and with each trail of your fingertips you felt your face getting hotter and hotter and your loins dripping with even more lubrication. Six, did his length feel glorious in your hands, the heat of his flesh making you feel overly giddy and wondering just exactly how it would feel once penetrating into your depths.

But making you feel even more aroused were the sounds of his apparent verbal arousal, uncontrollable sighs and moans tumbling out of his mouth as he pushed his hips forward and clenched his buttocks, wanting for you to touch him even more. And so you did, now taking your other hand and cupping his scrotum, the softness of that tender flesh in your hands making even you whimper, and out of sudden excitement you gripped your other hand around his length and began to pump it up and down slowly. Gladio gasped harshly to this, his head now angled downwards to look at you, his lips parted and his brows drawn together in absolute ecstasy.

“Beautiful, gods, you are so beautiful,” he murmured as a groan tore pas his lips, and finding the compliment spur you on, without even warning you shifted upon your knees and brought the length to the seam of your lips. The aroma of salt and his masculine musk in combination with the smell of moss on your palms sent you into a drive you didn’t know you possessed, and opening your mouth you slowly inserted his massive girth into the confines of your jaw.

It was Gladio who was caught off guard and almost instantaneously he brought his hands up and gripped the back of your head to gently tug upon your hair ever so carefully. He was moaning your name, his hips jerking forward as you attempted your best to help sate some of the man’s desires. With tears streaming down the sides of your cheeks, you begged and pleaded with yourself that you would not gag, trying everything in your power to attempt to accommodate this man’s massive length that unwillingly and unintentionally hit the back of your throat.

Astrals, if felt so good to please him though, this man whose world would be changed forever the moment he left the safety of the Crown City and set off on a journey that could change his future.

“Y-Y/N. Y/N,” Gladio suddenly croaked hoarsely, and casting your glance up at him your heart clenched at the way in which he adoringly stared at you, his chest heaving and his lips parted, and by the looks of it appeared he was about to snap at any second.

Reluctantly, slowly you pulled his length out of your mouth to respond to him. “Y-Yes, Gladdy?” You said breathlessly through heavy lashes, and he moved is hands from the back of your head and hair to cup your chin.

“I…I…I want you,” he said huskily. “I want to feel what it’s like inside of you. I want to get lost in this moment, here and now, right on this ground.” He knelt down to your level, holding the sides of your face. “Are you...are you sure, about this, Y/N?” He said for the thousandth time. “Are you ok with having me too?”

You wanted to cry. Gods, nothing else in this world could elate you like so. “Oh yes, Gladdy. Please. I am all yours.”

Your lips crashed together like two vigilant warriors, and once again lowering himself onto the ground, he blanketed your tiny frame, his hands wandering over every inch of your bare flesh. You were whimpering with joy, your skin ablaze and your hands trailing down the massive expanses of his back, hoping to hold onto dear life for what was to come. Gods how he kissed you right now, moans tumbling out of his mouth and his hips flushed and grinding against yours in want of friction to be joined in your heat. With the moss and lichen tickling your back once again, you writhed beneath him, unable to withstand being separated from him anymore.

“Gladio. Gladio, please,” you whined, the slickness from your loins now soddening the flesh between your thighs.

His breathing hitched, a sigh of relief leaving his mouth at hearing your final words of consent. Kissing you passionately one more time, he shifted himself upon his knees to steady himself and draped your legs over his thighs. Stroking his hands down the length of your legs, you watched with wide eyes him grab the base of his shaft in his hand and press the tip to your folds. You gasped, and with your eyes now never leaving his and his never leaving yours, he gently pushed the head of his shaft past your folds and in one soft motion sheathed himself inside of you to the hilt.

Astrals, you didn’t know who was least prepared: you, who immediately yanked at the moss at your sides and tore it up in your hands as you howled at the top of your lungs, or Gladio, his teeth gritting together as body startled to tremble, his countenance masked in a look of indescribable pleasure. Immediately he shifted his body over you, his forehead pressing to yours and his arms grasping you tightly to steady himself as you buried your face in his chest to muffle your cries. What you felt was unlike anything else, you passage stretched beyond limit and tugging at the girth that made its home inside, and nothing else in this world could compare to the harmonious blend of pain and exquisite pleasure that burned through every cell in your body as he nestled himself deep within your walls. You whimpered, clutching onto his back and digging your nails done the length of his spine, and all the while he just held you, unmoving as you attempted to adjust to his length.

But lifting your head for just a moment, your hands gripping at his biceps, it was YOU who was surprised to see the expression on the Shield’s face, his pupils fully blown and his eyes wide as if he has never felt anything like you before in his whole life. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and shakily moving your hands away from his arms you reached up and touched his face.

“G-Gladdy? Are you ok?” You said, your words hoarse in your throat and your flesh burning like the fires of Ravatough.

A rough laugh tumbled out of his lips as he kissed your forehead as if to ground himself, and gods you could tell by the way his lips pressed to your head that he was using every ounce of his strength to not violently unleash his needs on you. “Y/N… I’m more than f-fine, sweetheart. M-More than fine. J-Just…” and he paused to kiss you on the head again, his body shifting over yours slightly and causing you to help. His eyes widened in a sudden terror as if he has done something horribly wrong. “B-But more importantly is if you are. I-I’m not hurting you, am I?”

You bit your lip, feeling very flustered and embarrassed. “A-A little bit,” you said, gasping and feeling your loins clench around his length, and to you nothing was more arousing than how much he was taking such intense care to ensure you felt alright. Feeling a sense of playfulness wash over you though, you bit your lip and smiled up at him reassuringly. “But I suppose this isn’t a bad thing right? Maybe this is my way of trying to compliment you right now.”

Gladio laughed again and captured your lips with his, and nuzzling his nose against yours he breathed in deeply, relishing in the way you felt around his length. “That’s one hell of a compliment,” he remarked, shifting carefully, and the motion further shoved his length as humanly possible inside of you, causing you to arch your back and moan. Quickly he touched your face for reassurance, his brows knit in concern. “B-But seriously, all joking aside, are you ok? Is it…is it ok if I move inside of you?”

Six, why was his concern for you so attractive? Breathing in deeply, you kissed him on the nose. “It’s ok Gladio. I…I’ll be ok. I feel a little bit better already. I promise you…”

And with that he moved. _Gods_ did he begin to move, ever so slowly and sensually over you, his abdominals brushing over your soft belly and pressing to your breasts, and gripping on for dear life you began to cry out, your exclamations of pleasure and slight pain echoing through the forest domain. Nothing felt so frightening and exhilarating and euphoric all at once, and with each gentle thrust of his sturdy and massive hips you slowly began to lose yourself to the way his girth stretched your passage. Finding the strength within you, you lifted your legs and wrapped them around his taut waist, securing yourself underneath him as the moss of the earth became matted against your back.

“Astrals, Y/N,” Gladio moaned, and he now was starting to become overwhelmed at the realization of what he was sharing with you. Over ten years of bonding. Ten years of watching each other grow. Ten years of witnessing each other’s struggles and sharing tears and laughter. And now? This was something more. So much more than you could have ever imagined.

You brought your lips up to kiss the base of his throat, nipping gently at the muscular lines of his neck and along his clavicle, and Gladio hissed at the sensation of your teeth skimming over his flesh. He looked down at you and smiled, and smirking for just a second he pushed himself a little bit more deeply inside of your walls. You cried out, gasping for air at the sudden motion, and with your heart pounding madly within your chest you realized that you rather much liked the sudden shift in his pace.

The pain was mostly gone. And now you only wanted more of him.

“G-Gladio,” you attempted to say breathlessly as you kissed the expanse of his chest and touched his arms. “I…I…”

“Y-Yeah, Y/N?” He replied back, and it seemed to take him every ounce of his brainpower to formulate words. Sweat was already dripping down his temple, his eyes fluttering blissfully as his shaft now slid in and out of you with ease.

“I…I want you to…move a little faster. A-And harder….”

He groaned to this, his nostrils flaring and his breathing hitching at your request. “A-Are you sure?” he asked, looking you seriously in the eyes.

“Y-Yes, Gladio. I’m ok now. I promise…”

A slightly smug smirk crossed over his lips. “If you say so, sweetheart. But I’m gonna move freely now. You just let me know if it’s too much, ok?”

You bit your nip and nodded, placing your hands upon his shoulders to brace yourself.

In one swift motion Gladio pounded into you, and immediately you almost screamed from surprise, the tautness of your walls adjusted to his length but still not used to how exquisitely tight he felt inside of you. You buried your face in his neck, nipping down on his pectorals as he thrust into you again as before, and soon before you knew it you were at the mercy of his sinfully brutal and all the while affectionate ministrations that had your back sliding and pressing into the earthy forest floor. How could anything possibly feel so perfect, you had no idea, but gods you were going to relish in every second of this as you made love as one in the most natural and surreal of places on this earth.

He continued his motions, your lips locking to his to stifle your cries of ecstasy and joy, and digging your nails into his back and smelling the saltiness of his sweat and musk and the earthiness of leaves and flora and fauna all around you, you removed your lips from his and gazed up at him through heavy lashes.

He was beautiful. He was perfection in your arms as the sunlight danced over the musculature of his back and the rippling of his biceps. Gods, you couldn’t think of anything else you wanted more in your life. This was all so natural, and with your stomach turning into anxious and excited knots, you suddenly wanted nothing more than anything to make love with him in the most natural and animal-like of ways.

“G-Gladio, c-can I move, please?” You said through your cries as you latched onto his back, and with Gladio grunted loudly as his scrotum smacked gently against your folds, he lifted his head from your neck to look you in the eyes.

“Y-Yeah, sweetheart,” he said breathlessly, a man completely lost to this joyous coupling of two souls. “Where do you want to move?”

You were blushing so furiously that you almost couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I…”

Gladio laughed, thrusting into you harder and smirking playfully down at you. “Oh c’mon, now! Y-You gonna start being shy with me now? Hun, I don’t think there is anything for you to be shy about anymore…” And he lifted himself from your frame and situated himself upon both knees, his hands trailing from your breasts and stomach to your thighs, and once again he began his painfully and deliciously-paced thrusting.

You gripped at the ground again, feeling awful that you were tearing up Mother Nature’s carpet, and yet Astrals did you need a way to keep your stability about you. You were crying out more loudly, your gaze shifting from his beaming face to his sweat-coated abs and down to your loins where you watched with delight the way his length penetrated you over and over again and filled you to completion. You bit your lip, trying not to laugh at his playfully smug and proud grin, and with your breasts bouncing you held onto your chest, trying to come up with your response.

“N-Not shy,” you remarked, gasping between each syllable. “J-Just…” And now it was you who smiled playfully as a moan escaped your lips. “I want you in another w-way right now. Will you let me move for just a second?”

Gladio’s eyes went wide, the honey-amber of his pupils almost gone, but pausing his thrusting she smiled broadly. “As my lady requests,” he said in the most sophisticated of manners. Arching himself backwards he slowly slid himself out of your passage, and whining you almost sobbed at the sudden emptiness that now manifested you. But biting your lip and finding the strength within your hands to push yourself up off your back, you maneuvered yourself on your hands and knees and situated yourself upon all fours.

You didn’t even get a chance to turn your head around when you heard Gladio inhale sharply behind you, followed by an expletive that he would only say in the most intense or surprising of scenarios. Swallowing hard, you angled your head back to look at him and immediately blushed. His pupils were blown and his chest was heaving as if he had just won first-prize, and with his shaft glistening in the sunlight and coated in your essence, nothing else in the world could make your mouth water more. You watched the distinct way his thigh muscles flexed and his fingers curled, and as if he didn’t need to be instructed he immediately latched onto your hips with his broad hands to press you close to him.

Bracing yourself upon your hands and knees, you waited with bated breath to feel his girth penetrate you and fill you once more. But no, it wasn’t the stretching of your walls that you anticipated. It was the feel of his hands trailing down your back, his fingers dancing over your spine, and turning back around you immediately swooned at the sight of what he was doing. Your back had been coated in bits of grass and lichen and moss, and Gladio ever so delicately picked each tiny remnant off your skin to rid your flesh of the stuff. He reached for your hair, playing with the strands between his broad fingers, and you trembled as he picked one by one leaves that had made their nest between your locks.

“Being one with nature…” he murmured in the most adoring ways. “And being one with you…Are you ready for me again, sweetheart?”

Gods you were. You were ready for nothing else in life as he once again sheathed himself inside your depths and began a perfectly natural rhythm that sent you crying and howling and begging for every inch of him in every way. Your breasts swayed, your hands once more digging and scratching and grasping into the earth as the delightful sound of his scrotum slapping softly against your folds filled your ears. You threw your head back, calling out his name over and over again as you lost yourself to being one with this man who cherished you like the earth he walked upon.

He felt so wonderful. You wanted even more.

“G-Gladio, h-harder,” you gasped, feeling yourself become bolder and braver.

“Astrals, Y/N….”

Your body jolted forward, you loudly whimpering and your head sinking to the earth as he quickened his rhythm. Your eyes shut tightly as you relished in the feel of his manhood hitting you so deeply that it hurt with pleasure.

“Gladdy, m-more…”

“ _Gods_ …”

And more he gave you. More and more and more and your cheeks were suddenly streaming with tears of joy, you never feeling so whole and safe in your whole life.

“More.”

And it was as if all of nature around you hushed itself to partake in the spectacle of man and woman loving one another in the most natural of ways, his grunts and groans and his exclamations of your name very much like that of the wild beasts he promised to protect you against.

You were faltering though. Your heat could only take so much more as your passage began to clench around Gladio’s length, and as he gripped at you tightly he could almost tell that you were close to your peak.

“Y/N…oh Six, Y/N…” he moaned deeply, and turning your head around your heart clenched at the way his gaze fixated upon yours, his lips parted and his body coated in sweat that glistened in the afternoon sun. “You’re beautiful. Astrals, you are so beautiful.”

You were almost in tears. What a beautiful sight he was too.

You couldn’t hold back any longer. Your body couldn’t withstand the pleasure. Biting down upon your lip, you felt it, the depth of his thick girth hitting your insides in just the right spot. “G-Gladdy, I’m…I’m…”

“Six, Y/N, let me hear you…”

And so you did. Throwing your head back and upwards towards the treetops, you let your ecstasy be heard as your climax peaked, hot white pleasure burning through every muscle and nerve and cell in your body and your passage pulsating and throbbing around his length that did not for one second stop its movements within you. Gladio grasped at your hips, his fingertips digging into your flesh as he moaned in response, relishing in the sound of his name repeatedly tumbling out of your mouth over and over and over again as your walls tugged and clenched around his length.

With one last twitch and twinge of your heat, your passage completely drenched and slick and very much still full of Gladio’s girth, your upper body collapsed to the forest floor. You were gasping for air, your hands clutching at your breast as your brain tried to grasp all that you just felt.

Never in your life would you have imagined such. Never in your life had anything felt so right.

“Y/N…” Gladio murmured behind you, and instantly sobbing you felt Gladio slide out of you and maneuver himself so that some way or another, you found yourself scooped up and cradled in his strong arms. Immediately your cheeks and eyes and lips were assaulted with tender kisses, and half from exhaustion and half from giddiness, you giggled and somehow managed to open your eyes to look at his handsome face.

“Hmmm? Yes Gladdy?” You murmured sheepishly, resting your head on his shoulder as he sat you down on his lap. You swooned as he kissed your forehead, the scruffiness of his cheeks tickling you in the most perfect of ways.

“Are…are you ok?” He asked you nervously, seeing the crumpled state he left you in. “I…I didn’t hurt you at all, did I?”

You sighed dreamily and laughed, realizing how sore you suddenly were feeling, but despite the ache in your groin you wouldn’t have wanted to feel anything else. “You worry about me a lot, you realize that?” You said playfully, reaching up and kissing him on the nose. “Such a gentleman you are…”

He smiled, his brows still knit together with concern. “And you say that like I wouldn’t worry about you. Ten years at least of knowing you and you know very much like all hell that I’m going to worry about you…”

His voice trailed off, his words strained and Adam’s apple shifting in his throat. You titled your head, confused at his sudden expression when, as you shifted in his lap, your eyes widened at the realization that he length was still hard as a rock, his shaft poking between your legs and throbbing at the proximity of your heart.

He was blushing immensely, and looking away from you for a second, he seemed to be flustered over what he wanted.

The poor guy had yet to climax all this time, him refraining from releasing so that you could enjoy your own.

_Gladio…_

You touched the sides of his face and smiled bashfully up at him, and feeling a sudden spike in your energy again, you resituated yourself upon his lap so that you were straddling his waist and that his girth was sliding along the crevice between your butt cheeks.

“Gladdy…” You murmured soothingly, brushing your lips over his and grinding your hips against him. “I want you…I need you again, please…”

His nostrils flared and his eyes widened, his face lighting up like a delighted child’s. “Y-Y/N, a-are you sure though? You look exhausted and-“

You silenced him with a finger like you did earlier, smiling at him playfully. “I conquered this mountain to get here with you, remember? Don’t think for a second that I’m going to stop there without you catching up to me…”

The boyish cocky smirk of his that you loved so much suddenly plastered itself over his lips, and gripping at your hips that was all he needed to allow himself his own pleasure. “You’re a woman after my own heart, you know that?” He murmured, and lifting you up with his strong hands, you reached down to line up his length with your entrance, and once again he filled you ever so perfectly and completely and joined with you as one.

You were crying out his name once again as you bounced on his lap, you face buried in his shoulder and your arms wrapped around his neck as he drilled into you from below. He was much less gentle this time but just as careful not to hurt you as he sent you jolting upright upon his lap, and with each powerful thrust within your depths you once again became more and more lost to the pleasure that enveloped you.

But nothing brought you more delight than to lift your face from his shoulder to see his countenance masked in the absolute ecstasy, his lips spread into a blissful smile and his amber eyes fluttering shut to the heavy and heated rhythmic pace he set forth for himself. He was pumping faster by the second, the friction between yours and his loins becoming all the more unbearable, and howling and screaming and crying out his name, you gripped onto dear life as you both let your pleasures be heard.

Six, you were already close again, and by the frantic and inhuman pace in which he pounded into you and made love to you, you surely knew that he was too.

The smell of his sweat and the dirt and the earth and the freshness of the air. It was all so surreal. Pressing your forehead to his, his name tumbling out of your mouth hysterically, you were moments away from losing all restraint.

But it wasn’t another moan that came out of Gladio’s mouth next nor the use of your name that set you over the edge. No, it was something so much more than that.

“Astrals, how I love you, Y/N…”

You were sobbing uncontrollably as a violent heat rushed through your body once again, and it was all you could do to keep yourself upright as your climax crushed you a second time. But burying your face into his neck, it was with your breasts heaving and your heart slamming in your chest did you feel his seed begin to spurt inside of your walls, the ribbons of fluid filling you completing and oh so perfectly like it was always meant to be. You were crying, kissing his neck and his clavicle and shoulders and gripping his trapezius muscles and biceps as you succumbed to your pleasure together, and lifting your face from its nest Gladio pressed his lips to yours, his helpless and blissful sighs muffled by your lips.

How much he emptied into you, you could not believe, but you relished in the feel of its warmth as with one last thrust, all strength left Gladio’s body, his prodding subsiding and his head falling to your shoulder. The Shield was completely spent, his body completely drenched and covered in sweat and his chest heaving like he just ran laps around the Citadel to train. Nothing sounded more beautiful than the unevenness of his breathing, and reaching up to stroke his hair, your spine suddenly tingled at the feel of his large hands tracing down your spine.

All was silent, save for the songbirds of the forest and the bubbling and purling of the stream nearby. In the stillness of this moment, hands dancing over flesh and bodies pressed together in the embrace of one another, nothing felt more right. Nothing felt more safe than this.

Feeling your eyes flutter shut, it was with a startle that Gladio shifted on his seat upon the forest floor, and opening your eyes you lifted your head from his shoulder to see him staring at you with the most discernable look of adoration in his eyes. Removing his hand from your waist for just a moment, he reached up to touch your face, his fingertips brushing over your lips and chin.

“Y/N…are…are…are you-“

“Alright?” you asked breathlessly, cutting him off playfully and smiling. “Hmm…I was wondering when you were going to ask me that.”

The Shield laughed, seeming to feel relief in your lighthearted tone. “Yeah, I was gonna say it, but you beat me to it,” he said with a charming grin. “Are you ok though if I move us though?”

You nodded, kissing his lips before he helped lift you off his softening shaft and onto the ground next to him. With him enveloping you in his arms tightly and securely, you felt your belly turn in little delightful knots as he sat back with you and lowered you onto the ground, your naked spines resting upon the earth as to stare up at the trees overhead. He pulled you tightly to his chest, your head resting on the pillow of his chest as you lost yourself to the sound of the pattering of his heart within his breast. As you nestled your head against him, he sighed deeply, running his thick fingers through the tresses of your hair as if never wanting to forget their feel. As your eyes cast themselves to the branches suspended above, you felt your stomach churn anxiously, his sudden silence starting to get the best of you. But with noticing the sudden sputtering of his heart, you lifted your head to speak to him, only seeing that his eyes were locked to yours and his lips parted as if ready to speak.

“I mean it when I say it,” he murmured to you, and his remark made your chest clench. What exactly did he mean? But him seeing your brows knit together, he continued. “Everything. Everything that I’ve said to you today. How you make me crazy. How I love our time together. The way you make me feel. Gods, Y/N, how you keep me grounded in this bat-shit crazy world. I mean every word of it, Y/N. But even more importantly, well…”

And he was blushing and your skin was hot like burning coals, and splaying your tiny hand over the expanse of his chest, you swallowed hard, hoping he was going to say what he was about to say.

“Y-Yes, Gladdy?” You said meekly, your heart sputtering in your chest.

And he smiled. “I love you, Y/N. Six, I love the hell out of you. And damn me to hell for not saying this to you before. Damn me for waiting for so long to say it. Will you forgive me for that?”

You were crying happy tears as you lifted yourself over him and placed a thousand kisses upon those scruffy cheeks and that glorious scar and those plump lips, and grasping upon the sides of his face you too couldn’t keep your words restrained inside you anymore.

“Oh Gladio, I’d forgive you a thousand times over if I had to. I love you too. I really do.” And you were crying, contented and somber and bittersweet tears, but it was all in love nonetheless. “Just…promise me that you won’t forget about me when you’re gone?”

Gladio laughed, pulling you close to his chest and gripping you so hard that you swore he was never going to let you go. “As if that was possible to forget you. I could never, Y/N. Never in a million years. I’ll call you every second I can, wherever the guys and I may end up. You’ll be in my mind all the time, just like you have been all these years...”

And that promise he would keep to you, despite the toils of war and the heartache of loss that he would soon unknowingly face and endure within the near future. Tears and blood shed and years parted from one another would be there to test you, and even when the future dark came and all hope seemed lost to the world, he would always be there for you, even as he waited for his king to restore the light. But for now, what this future would bring did not matter. Nothing else mattered as the rays of light spectacled themselves over you and Gladiolus Amicitia, new lovers at heart and never to be forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> *That little tidbit at the end with Gladdy calling the Reader...You know how when staying at hotels you see Gladio frequently on the phone with someone or texting but we have no idea who that is? I totally headcanon that this person is in fact our Reader and that she is also the same girl that Gladio mentions in Chapter 14 when he's talking about a girl he's in love with. He's been rather tactful about keeping his relationship with her private all these years. XD


End file.
